What do you know about the person sitting next to you?
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Many people are questioning whether work is working, and as much as work is about work, it is also about the people we meet and connect with as part of our working lives. At a time when so many ways of coming together as a group are diminishing — for example, church groups or neighbourhood groups — work is still a place where we can come together, even if it is virtually. Unfortunately, in the push for productivity and the pace we are living our lives, this important aspect of work sometimes goes by the wayside.
My MAGIC framework explores the core drivers that will support us in changing our relationship with work. These drivers are Meaning, Authenticity, Ground Rules, “I” and Curiosity.
The “I” refers to bringing our whole selves to work because when we all do this we have a better chance of getting to know the person next to us and connecting. We are currently experiencing a Loneliness Epidemic and if this is not startling enough, the research shows us that loneliness not only impacts our mortality but also our morbidity. So if we are interested in the health and well-being of our organisations and making work, work again, then this connection space is key. I appreciate it can feel overwhelming knowing where to start and just like any big change sometimes it is just about starting; taking one step forward. How can I get to know the person sitting next to me or that person who is on the other end of that Zoom call just a little better?
Perhaps you can start with getting to know the individual “superpowers” of your team. We certainly do not want to hide these but in the haste and “busyness” of our working world they get missed. Sometimes we just focus on what is needed to get the job done at the expense of getting to know people’s other and sometimes surprising talents.
For example,in my own organization, we have people with skills in graphic design, events planning, editing, yoga, tap dancing, poetry and a running instructor; not their “job” but things they excel at. Another company I know had a team member (a lawyer by trade) whose superpower was singing; not something he used in the office, but once people found out, they enjoyed going to support him in his theatre performances as a way to foster camaraderie with the team. You can recognise these or alternatively you can just ignore this and perhaps miss out on opportunities these might bring to your team.
At our workplace we have all loved the poetry hits at the end of a long week, our colleague with graphic designing skills helped out with some branding of a new project and loved it and our editor was able to fine-tune an important proposal before it was sent off. Not their “job” but something that was an important part of who they are. When we recognise these aspects of people not only do they thrive but we thrive as a group. Can you see by understanding the person sitting next to you and incorporating some of these “superpowers” how it can add to the fabric of our team? These talents quite simply might be something you can use. Understanding and taking advantage of these nuances not only helps the individual to thrive at work but utilising these extra skills can help the team to flourish.
And we want our teams to be great, don’t we? Or will “good enough” suffice? What we do know is the world is changing faster than it ever has before. To respond and to meet this change with creative solutions, we are going to need sharp problem solvers, innovators, and creators. The cookie-cutter approach of just coming in and doing your “job” is not going to work in the world that is already light years ahead of us all. By encouraging our team members to truly “be yourself”, and in doing so by recognising and celebrating the individuals in our team and the unique characteristics they bring, perhaps we can all thrive. Personally, I believe this will bring us one step closer to great!
Photo via Unsplash